Contents: Introduction -- The fruits of fermentation -- On the inebriation of elephants -- Aping about in the forest -- A first-rate molecule -- Alcoholics aren’t anonymous -- Winos in the mist.

Summary

Dudley presents an intriguing evolutionary interpretation to explain the persistence of alcohol-related problems. Providing a deep-time, interdisciplinary perspective on today’s patterns of alcohol consumption and abuse, Dudley links the fruit-eating behavior of arboreal primates to the evolution of the sensory skills they use to identify ripe and fermented fruits that contain sugar and low levels of alcohol. In addition to introducing this new theory of the relationship between humans and alcohol, the book discusses the supporting research, implications of the hypothesis, and the medical and social impacts of alcoholism. The Drunken Monkey is designed for general readers, scholars, and students in comparative and evolutionary biology, biological anthropology, medicine, and public health.